CLASS NOTES

Alumni share updates and accomplishments

1950s

George Avila (1955) was interviewed by KSN-TV on his missions in the Air Force over North Vietnam.

Phillip V. Sanchez (1957) will be the namesake of the new Clovis Unified intermediate school feeding into Clovis South High.

1970s

Joe L. Del Bosque (1975), a Firebaugh farmer, was honored on the California State Assembly Floor by Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria as the 2024 Latino Spirit Award honoree for his work as an advocate for farmers and farmworkers impacted by water policies.

Florence T. Dunn (1975), founding president of California Health Sciences University, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Health Sciences from California Health Sciences University.

RoseMary Parga Duran (1976), alongside her husband, received the Merced College President’s Medallion for leading the construction of many of the college’s current buildings.

Don LeBaron (1971), a photographer, was honored for a lifetime of work with an exhibit in the Heritage Art Gallery at Tulare Historical Museum.

Sue Lemaire (1970) was inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame, in Holyoke, MA, for her work as a premier volleyball official and referee.

Diane Milutinovich (1970) was named the recipient of the 2024 Nike Lifetime Achievement Award for dedicating her career as an advocate for Title IX and gender equity.

Laurie Lindley Muender (1978) published her novel “Joe, the Dog Who Forgot to Grow.”

Gary L. Shapiro (1973), a researcher who cofounded Orangutan Foundation International, was interviewed by Mongabay News on what sparked his interest in the study of orangutans.

Michael Vaida (1970) established The Vaida Chair, the first endowed faculty position in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at UC Davis.

1980s

Teri Bailey (1983) is an owner of Ivy & Owl Picnic Company, a luxury pop-up picnic company in Fresno.

Bill Bilbo (1988) is now principal at Ortiz Middle School in Santa Fe, NM.

Stefani Booroojian (1981) is retiring after 42 years of anchoring and reporting on KSEE24.

Daniel Chacon (1989) has published a short story collection titled, “The Last Philosopher in Texas: Fictions and Superstitions.”

Ron Cox (1989), who set the NCAA record for sacks as a linebacker at Fresno State, was inducted to the Fresno State Ring of Honor on Oct. 26.

Ernie Diaz (1987) retired from Gracey Elementary in Merced after 35 years as a third-grade teacher.

John DiGirolamo (1987) published a new book, “It’s Not About the Devil,” focusing on attacking the vulnerable.

Suzanne Gifford (1989) is now executive director of Craven County Partners in Education in New Bern, NC.

Lesley Lang-Lopez (1989) is the senior loan and business development officer for the Cen Cal Business Finance Group’s Santa Maria/Coast office.

Tom Mackey (1983), owner of Tom Mackey Cellars in Sonoma, was named winemaker of the week by The Press Democrat.

Jon Reelhorn (1985), owner of Belmont Nursery in Fresno, was interviewed by Capital Press on his educational journey through agriculture.

Scott Severson (1985), owner of Severson Family Farms, was interviewed by West Coast Nut on his journey in farming.

Daniel Silva (1983), New York Times best-selling author of espionage and thriller novels, published a new novel, “A Death in Cornwall.”

Jeff Smutny (1986) is now executive director of American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute in California.

LaDonna Snow (1980), CEO of Snowflake Designs, created custom leotards for two Egyptian gymnasts at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Dan Taylor (1980) is now executive director for the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame.

Timothy Zerlang (1983) is Stanford University’s carillonneur, the person responsible for the melodic sounds that emanate from the Hoover Tower on campus. 1990s

Antonio Arreguin-Bermudez (1997) is the owner of La Flor de Michoacán Paletería y Nevería in Chico.

Michael Carr (1998) is now president and general manager of ABC13/KTRKTV in Houston.

Susanne Chuhlantseff (1996), who specializes in working with three and four-year-olds who have autism, has been awarded Educator of the Week by Your Central Valley.

Keisha Cosand (1995), English professor at Golden West College, has been named one of the 2025 Orange County Teachers of the Year.

Roger Duncan (1991), UC Cooperative Extension pomology farm adviser in Stanislaus County, retired after 36 years.

John Etcheverry (1990) is the grants and contracts manager for the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University’s Program for Leadership and Character.

Tara Gomez (1998), the first Native American female winemaker, created Camins 2 Dream, a red blend wine.

Shonna Halterman (1991), retired from the City of Clovis as general services director.

Misty Her (1998) is the first female and Asian American superintendent in Fresno Unified’s history, and she is the highest ranking Hmong American educator in K-12 education in the country.

Amanda Holder (1999) is the associate publisher for California Wedding Day, a premier luxury bridal magazine and website.

Phil Murillo (1991) created the agricultural-themed mural for the Children’s Museum of Illinois.

Christina Orlando (1997) retired after serving 12 years on the Ripon Unified School District board.

Todd Rinder (1990) is the visiting assistant professor of kinesiology at Centenary College of Louisiana.

Wan Yang (1991), a professor of earth sciences and engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has been elected a fellow of the Geological Society of America. 2000s

Jeku Arce (2008), a public affairs officer in the U.S. Army, was invited to attend the White House celebration of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Raj Singh Badhesha (2005) is now Fresno County Superior Court judge, and the first Sikh person to be appointed to the Fresno County bench.

Edward Bómbita (2004) is now California Cybersecurity Integration Center commander at the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Sam Collup (2001) is now a regional sales manager for BAK Food Equipment, an equipment supplier in the food industry.

Chad Crivelli (2002), owner of Crivelli Ranch in Tulare, serves on the California Certified Organic Farmers Board.

Kurtis Douglas (2004) is the operations manager of Land Advisors Organization’s agriculture group in Fresno.

Devonne Etcheverry (2005) is now the iHeartMedia area president for the Pacific area, which includes Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Bakersfield, Monterey, Riverside and Spokane, WA.

Eric Gallegos (2009) is now the director of vineyard operations for Cliff Lede Vineyards in Yountville.

Soreath Hok (2006), an award-winning multimedia journalist, was featured in The Business Journal for leaving news reporting to help her parents run their business, Sprinkles Donuts.

Heidi Kindorf (2006) was a guest on the Policing Matters podcast to discuss the Drone as First Responder program.

Casey Lamonski (2002) is executive director of the Shinzen Friendship Garden in Fresno.

Robert Mollison (2009) is now president and CEO of Valley PBS.

Khetphet Phagnasay (2000), an actor and filmmaker, was interviewed byABC30 on his journey to breaking barriers on the big screen and creating a path for young aspiring talent in the Central Valley.

Robert Pimentel (2006), former Fresno City College president, is now chancellor at West Hills Community College District.

Christopher Renfro (2001) is the founder of the 280 Project, a nonprofit dedicated to making the wine industry more accessible for marginalized communities.

Mark Sanchez (2004) was appointed to the Board of Managers at Life Science Cares San Diego.

Jonathan Schlundt (2008) is the CEO/ principal of Net Positive Consulting Engineers in Fresno.

Gurdeep Shergill (2003) is now part of the Fresno City Council planning commission.

Alex Stewart (2008) is the head winemaker at Matthews Winery in Woodinville, WA.

Matt Tobin is now principal at Mountain Vista High in Madera.

2010s

Jacquii Bailey (2011) is one of the owners of Ivy & Owl Picnic Company, a luxury pop-up picnic company in Fresno.

Jamie Nakagawa Boley (2014), an interdisciplinary artist and writer whose artistic practice is connected to the landscape of the San Joaquin Valley, will take part in the art symposium “The Ocean Between VII” in Berlin, Germany.

Jamin Brazil (2015) has been named chief operating officer of Parsec Education.

Christopher Clark (2011) is now an orchestra representative for the Fresno-Madera County Music Educators Association and the New Horizons String Orchestra conductor.

Michael Cook (2015) was awarded the President’s Award for Scholarship in Viticulture from the American Society for Enology and Viticulture.

Sergio Coronel (2019) created the nonprofit YoungSTers for Change where he mentors youth who are experiencing challenges.

Abhilasha Dave (2018), a digital design engineer at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, was interviewed by Mirage News on her daily routine as an engineer.

Audia Dixon (2016) was featured on ABC30 for shedding light on the power of Black art and paving the way for younger generations to pursue their artistic passion.

Tyler J. Donaghy (2018) is an attorney for Higgs Fletcher & Mack, working for the law firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group in San Diego.

Tadeh Issakhanian (2013) is the U.S. General Services Administration senior adviser to the Administrator for Climate.

Jordyn Mahoney (2013) is now marketing and communications manager for the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno, Nevada.

Kirsten Messmer (2012) is now director of Parks and Recreation for the McKinleyville Community Services District.

Lauren Millard (2011), general manager at Madera Toyota-Chevrolet, was featured in Automotive News’ 40 Under 40.

Leo Munzo (2010) is now the industry executive for food and agriculture at Western Alliance Bank.

Virginia Orozco (2018), assistant winemaker at Neely Wines in Portola Valley, created a carbonic chardonnay.

Kevin Piercy (2014), an experienced litigator, is the founding member and shareholder of the Ogletree Deakins Fresno office, a labor and employment law firm.

Stephanie Rovetti (2016), a former Fresno State basketball player, won a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics as part of the USA women’s sevens rugby team.

Steve Sanouvong (2018), chef and coowner of Teriyaki & More, was featured on ABC30’s “Dine and Dish.”

Lauren Smith (2017) is the owner of Blitzy Bling Bandanas, a pet fashion line.

Cody Sturgis (2014) is the co-owner and brew master of Reborne Brewing Company in Clovis.

Robia Vang (2017) is the communication and engagement strategist at Brown County United Way in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Jacob Vazquez (2016), a former Fresno State offensive lineman, was named a 2024-25 EPIC Fellow at Stanford University.

2020s

Levelle Bailey (2023), an allconference football player at Fresno State, signed with the Denver Broncos.

Robert R. Davila (2024), Gallaudet University president emeritus, received the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

Amelia DiPaola (2024), a former hammer and shot put student-athlete, was nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year.

Mandeep Kaur (2021) is the second Punjabi woman to be sworn into the Fresno Police Department.

Michael Lynch (2021) gave a reading of his play “Crows Landing Gently, Gently” at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco.

Darlin Macias (2023) joined Home and Land Agency as a new member to its residential and commercial real estate team in Selma.

Simranjit Mann (2020) was interviewed by California Health Report on the health barriers elderly Punjabi residents face in Fresno.

Grace Miller (2024) is the development officer for The California FFA Foundation.

Keyara Piri (2024) was one of six people nationwide to receive the Marcus L. Urann Fellowship from Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Orlando Robinson, a former Fresno State basketball star who previously played for the Miami Heat, signed a one-year basketball contract with the Sacramento Kings.

Merith Weisman (2020) is now director of Sonoma County Go Local, a community networking group that works to grow the market share of locally owned businesses.